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Initial Waxing

Applying dread wax the first time.

Now its time for the wax! So check out...

The Official Totally Easy Instructions for Happy Well adjusted Dreadlocks Using Dread Head "a lil goes a long way" Dread Wax...

The amount of wax described here is the Initial Serving of wax. This amount will only be used once when starting your dreads. All future waxings will use the Maintenance Serving discussed in the maintenance section.

1. Step Number One! (this part is really important)

It's a good idea to check out your dreads and make sure that the backcombing is all good. Usually you have at least a few people helping backcomb and each of them had a few "learning dreads". It's pretty unlikely that every one of your dreads is going to be backcombed perfectly on the first try. By going through them and fixing the ones that are obviously bad now, you'll save yourself some time later. Since backcombing is much easier before you have wax in the dreads this is an excellent time to do it. I know it's almost cruel to ask you to fix backcombing when all you want to do is wax these bad boys and pass out but this step will really save you frustration later. There probably won't be that many that need attention. Just look for any dreads that have large areas of loose hair with few or no knots. If you can slide your fingers though the dread or spread it apart easily with your fingers that dread will need to be fixed. The best way to do this is usually just to begin combing at the roots, like you did when you started the dread, and comb all the way though it until you reach the tip. You'll want to remove the rubber bands while you do this. This is called re-backcombing. You do not want to keep doing this in the future to tighten the dreads but since you just finished backcombing them it's not a problem to do it now. When you have all the knots tight and happy you can get down with...

1.5 Step Number One and a Half!

Grasp the jar of Dreadhead HQ Dread Wax firmly in one hand and use your other hand to twist the lid in a counterclockwise direction. Continue twisting until the lid separates from the jar, revealing the smooth off-white surface of the wax inside. Inhale the light clean fragrance emanating from the jar and revel in the sensations that tickle your nostril hairs. You may now safely begin preparations for…

2. Step Number Two!

Use your “Don’t point, it’s rude!” finger to penetrate the slightly hard surface of the Dread Wax. Scoop out a little bit. (about the size of a headless gummy bear) (In the past we've told people to add a small amount, about the size of an M&M candy, but we had to revisit this after the introduction of numerous M&M variants like peanut, almond etc. ) While were here let's get specific about how to use just the right amount.

The right amount varies based on your dreads. The width or thickness of the dread, the hair type, and of course the length of the dreads all play an important part in determining the correct amount of wax to use so listen up, I don't wanna loose ya.

First let's talk girth. How big around are your dreads? If your dreads are about .5cm in diameter* (1/5 of an inch for those still avoiding metric, "Viva la resistaunce!") then you are going to grab 1 gram. Just hang on to it...I'll tell you what to do with it in a min. If your dreads are larger say around 2cm(about 3/4") or larger then you'll use 2 grams.

*About the diameter... This will be the diameter of the dread when it is gently squeezed together. You haven't waxed yet so naturally it's a bit poofy. Don't let that throw ya. Pressing it together gently should allow you to get a good idea of it's actual width.

"1 gram! Wow, so you weren't kidding, that's not much!" It's not, it really doesn't take much, but were not done you know....

If you don't happen to have a gram scale, but you do have a quarter handy, you can estimate the wax as shown above. Keep in mind this is for the Initial wax serving only....all future waxing will use a Maintenance serving which is much smaller.

Take the initial serving (either 1 or 2 grams) and rub it between your thumb and fore-finger to warm it, soften it and smooth it out. Dreads HATE cold wax...it's like a back rub with ice cold hands. No good.

So warm it up and roll it between your fingers to make it ooey gooey soft. When you achieve spreading consistency move to..

3. Step Number Three!

Start about 1.27cm ( 1/2 an inch") from the roots (where tha dread meets tha head) of the dread and apply the warm smooth wax to the first 7.6cm (3"inches). After it's applied more or less evenly it's time to work it, work it, in. Roll the dread back and forth between your fingers and or palms until the wax is no longer visible on the surface. You'll be palm rolling the whole dread when you finish waxing, but for now, just concentrate on the first 7.6cm.

When that's worked in it's time to move down the dread....3 more inches(7.6cm blah blah). (Unless of course your dreads are only 3" long in which case your first dread is all done gettin' waxed and you can do a lil dance, tweet to your followers on twitter, and move onto the next).

You'll repeat this process every 7.6cm (still 3") until you reach the tip...(you know, where it's NOT attached.) =]

So just to make sure we're on the same page let's flex our math muscles. (Not sure if that sounds dirty or if I'm just scarred by childhood memories of a math teacher) Let's say that our dread is 8" long, I know, I know, I'm being optimistic...but lets just say it is and it's about 1/2" wide (you knew there'd be a catch) . So you'd have 2 grams for each of the first 3 inches, that's 4 grams so far and then for the last 2"....uh...let's see carry the 2....ok, ok, 7 1/3 grams total for an 8"(20cm) dread.

"That's still not much!" True..but that's the right amount and it's the most wax you'll ever use at one time.

IMPORTANT: For maintenance waxing: (which is all waxing after this first waxing) You only add wax when all areas of the dread have no detectable wax. If you can feel any wax at all you skip the dread, it has enough.

Now when you finish each dread, palm roll it. Not just a couple times but really get in there and palm roll the heck out of it. The newer your dreads are the more you want to palm roll 'em and these babies are bran-spankin' so don't let up until your arms go numb. Ok, not really, but roll'em good and try to give them a good roll each day when you have wax in the hair. You can't imagine how much palm rolling with dread wax will help them lock. Nothing will help them tighten and compress into mature dreads faster!I recommend palmrolling them each for 30 seconds every day if you can. Of course it's not always possible but give it a shot it really will to amazing things for them. =]

There he is, your very first dread. This is a proud moment. Well, go ahead and name the lil fella. I named my first dread Ned. Write down his birthday somewhere, and you can measure him if you want : )

Depending on the size dreadlocks your making you probably have about 29-99 more to go so get busy.....

After you've had a chance to treat each dread to some waxy love, get ready to turn up the heat with…

4. Step Number Four!

Break out the blow dryer and assume the pose. What’s the pose? Well, if you don’t know, you’re just gonna have to make it up - we’re not covering that in this step. Use the dryer (did we mention it has to be plugged in and turned on?) to melt the wax into your dreads. Under no circumstance should you use any heating appliance other than a hair dryer - toaster ovens, blowtorches and jet engines are strictly prohibited for this step. Skipping this step will leave some of the wax on the surface of your dreads where it does you no good. With wax left on the surface of your dreads they will be slightly more prone to picking up lint, feathers and whatever else friends and family members happen to throw at your head, so we highly recommend the hair dryer. It's so important that I'd make it mandatory if I could. =] You see, not only does it help the wax melt in where it needs to be and remove it from the surface, but it also helps you remove excess wax. After the surface of the dread is hot take a paper towel and pull it down the length of the dread to absorb this extra wax. When you're done all the wax will be inside where you want it. Once you’ve achieved a head full of sleek soft dreads, you’re ready for…

4.5 Step Number Four and a half!

This step is optional but if you have Dread Butta this is the time to use it. Fresh wax will always feel a touch waxy on the surface. I don't know of anyone who likes that feeling. Fortunately, the waxy feeling doesn't last long, especially if you use the right about and follow it up with the hair dryer. This is because you can't feel the wax when it's inside the dread where it belongs. In the mean time, while you're waiting for it to work in completely the Dread Butta can knock out any waxiness on the surface. Here's how it's done. Take a pinch of Dread Butta and rub it between your hands like you're applying hand cream. Then, just run your fingers though your dreads, leaving a super thing coat of dread butta on the surface of the dreads. Apply it once or twice to get the desired feeling. The dreads will feel instantly softer, smoother and more fun to touch. The scents of the dread wax and dread butta complement each other and smell so good they'll make you hungry. Not mandatory but very enjoyable!

5. Step Number Five!

Get out and gloat! Thanks to killer products, great info and some skillful dread making you’ve got the sweetest, healthiest dreads since ever! Congrats! Welcome to the DreadHead Family!